Keith Maguire has been biding his time behind James Skalski for the last couple of seasons. Now the Clemson linebacker has a shot to vault to the top of the depth chart, though Skalski’s old job isn’t going to be handed to him.
But Maguire knows there’s far more opportunity at the second level of the defense than at any other point in his collegiate career.
“When (Skalski and Baylon Spector) left, you knew both spots were open,” Maguire said. “And from Day 1, everyone has been trying to compete, put their best foot forward and trying to earn that spot.”
Maguire is among them. While Trenton Simpson is in line to be Spector’s successor at Will linebacker, Maguire enters his fourth season with the program as one of the two leading candidates to take over for Skalski at Mike ‘backer, though he’s trying to fend off rising sophomore Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to be the starter when Clemson opens the season on Labor Day night against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Maguire also knows he’s set to get the most meaningful reps of his career this season regardless of what his designation is on the depth chart considering there wasn’t much separation to be had between himself and Trotter during preseason camp. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said there will likely be a rotation at the position, voicing confidence in both players’ ability to get the job done.
“We know there’s going to be a lot of playing time going around this year, more than years past, so we’re all trying to grade 100 every practice,” Maguire said. “If we don’t, we all learn from each other’s mistakes. It’s moreso competitive as a group and as linebackers trying to be the best coordination as opposed to really just going against each other.”
Knowing more reps were likely to come his way this fall, Maguire said his primary focus in his preparation since the spring has been mastering the playbook. He said he started to truly understand the complexities of…
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